Misheard Words
by AllPinkkAndYellow
Summary: When Rose kicked in the door to find an empty cell, her adrenaline-fuelled good feelings faded into devastation. No, she felt worse than that. She was devastated when she lost her the first time, but this was much worse.


When Rose kicked in the door to find an empty cell, her adrenaline-fuelled good feelings faded into devastation. No, she felt worse than that. She was devastated when she lost her the first time, but this was much worse. It felt like she'd been beaten until she was black and blue, and then drowned in ice water and was not given any chance to recover. She was still breathing fast from her running and fighting the prison guards on her way over here, but that was wrong. Everything is supposed to be still. Everything was supposed to be quiet. But somehow she still heard her own erratic breathing. Why?

Rose knew she had to move. The guards would be waking up soon, and they are aware of her incapacitating methods now. But how could she leave without Clara? She was only here to rescue Clara, not come and look at her cell and then leave without her. It's not fair. It's not fair to Clara _or_ Rose.

Rose became aware of her tears reaching her neck, surprised that she was so numb that she hadn't even realised she had been crying. As if her body knew that it's weakness had been found out, the rest of her composer collapsed. Her face displayed her agony, her knees buckled, an ugly scream was torn directly from her throat. She ended up on the floor, on her knees, her eyes clouded with tears.

She didn't want to get up. Why should she get up when Clara will never get up again? How will she do anything without breaking down? Sleeping with Clara practically cured her insomnia, Clara's big brown eyes made Rose finally believe in destiny, and Clara's hand held Rose's in the most troubling times. Clara was the only person who was able to cure Rose's broken heart. But she wasn't here to do that anymore.

"Get up."

The words were whispered, and both comforting and commanding. Rose dried her eyes to see Clara in front of her, hands on her knees, knees slightly bent, and her face only a foot away from Rose's. She looked as real as anything else around her, but Rose wasn't convinced, knowing that this was probably her brain's way of motivating her to get out so she won't meet the same fate as Clara.

"No."

The imaginary Clara didn't relent, but didn't repeat herself as Rose expected.

"Well, Why not then? Not a fan of living?"

Rose was impressed by how much this imaginary Clara actually sounded like the real Clara, how much personality she could possess as a mere image. It almost made her want to keep trying. Almost.

"You're dead."

Her voice cracked on the word 'dead', ruining the fake composure she donned once seeing the apparition.

"What makes you so sure?"

Rose was finally able to bring herself to look Clara in the face, and was stunned by how realistic she was. The same skin, the same cute little nose, the same beautiful lips (currently in a sympathetic smirk), and the same big brown eyes. Rose reached out her hand to touch her and was surprised when her fingertips made contact with the flesh of Clara's cheek.

"You said 'goodbye'. On the radio. Just before I got here. I thought I would get here in time, but I – I was wrong."

Rose could barely get her words out fast enough. She was both excited and confused, but not happy. Not just yet.

"You misheard me."

"No I didn't. I know what I heard."

Clara pulled Rose up to a standing position and wrapped her arms around her tightly, letting out a loud exhale.

"I'm here. That's all that matters."

She pulled back and looked into Rose's eyes. Then she smiled. A real smile. A smile that was for a reunion and not for a loss. Bubbly laughter spilled out of Rose's throat but was halted by Clara's soft lips pressing into hers. It was glorious.

But then there was that sound.

The sound of a mechanism being triggered.

The sound of a _vaporizer gun_ being triggered.

And then Clara was gone. For real this time.

It was so sudden. Clara was there and the next millisecond she wasn't.

Rose Tyler vowed to herself that she would never kill. But then again that was before she met Clara. That was before she _lost_ Clara. The stun gun was out of the guard's hand and in hers by the time he next blinked, and he was gone moments after that.

Rose killed every guard she saw as she exited the prison. It was addictive. Like a videogame. Only Rose had more motivation to kill than the average videogame character has. She actually enjoyed it. She laughed as one guard fumbled for his vaporizer gun, and laughed harder when he disappeared.

When she was finally out of the prison she giggled to herself quietly.

So _that's_ how a hero becomes a villain.


End file.
